film processor
A machine used to develop photographic film which has been exposed in an imagesetter, film plotter or film recorder.

film recorder
- By definition, the same as an imagesetter, but in practice, the term usually refers to higher quality imagesetters that are used primarily for recording colour separation film.
- A device that is used to record an image file as a 35mm or 4″x5″ colour transparency, which is usually used for second generation originals or presentation graphics.

filter
A device that can separate one device from another by allowing only portions of the visible spectrum to pass through.

fingerprinting
A method testing a printing press determine its exact printing characteristics, such as its dot gain, ink density and trapping, for the purpose of customizing colour separations for those colour separations for those printing conditions.

FIPP
The European specifications for offset printing on coated paper, the International Federation of Publishers Press developed these guidelines for colour proofing and printing of periodicals. SWOP are the equivalent U.S. specifications; SNAP are the U.S. specifications for printing on newsprint.

flat
- A collection of properly imposed negatives and positives attached to a goldenrod or film carrier sheet from which the plate will be exposed.
- Properly imposed pages that will result in a signature.
- A term that is used to describe a photograph that is lacking in contrast.

flat tint
A printed area containing halftone dots that are all the same size, as opposed to a halftone or a vignette. Flat tints are usually just called tints.

flatbed
An adjective describing an optical input or output device that utilizes a flat plane for the image input or recording rather than a revolving cylinder. There are both flatbed scanners and flatbed imagesetters.

flatbed imagesetter
An imagesetter or platesetter in which the media remains flat during the imaging process, this in contrast to drum based system in which the media are wrapped around or inside a drum.
Below is an animation that shows how plates are image in a flatbed platesetter that is made by Strobbe, a Belgian manufacturer of prepress equipment. In the newspaper market, this machine is sold by Agfa as the Polaris.

To the right in the machine you see a trolley which contains either panorama plates or single plates. These are picked up and put on a table that moves the plates towards the imaging unit. A rotating polygon mirror makes the laser beam sweep from the left to the right and a second fixed mirror reflects the laser light onto the plates. After being exposed, the plates are dropped on a belt that moves them to the on-line processor on the left.

flatbed scanner
A type of scanner in which an original is placed face-down on a glass plate. To scan the image an arm equipped with a light and an electronic sensor sweeps under the glass and digitises the original. This is the most popular type of scanner for home and prepress use. More costly and cumbersome to use are drum scanners which usually offer a better resolution and dynamic range.

flattening
The process by which overlapping, non-opaque objects are remapped into opaque objects that render with the same look as the original non-opaque objects. This technique is used to support the transparency effects that many current applications offer, on RIPs that do not have native support for this effect.

flexo (printing)
A printing process in which flexible printing plates made of rubber or a photopolymer are used to transfer ink directly to paper or another substrate. It is used a lot in the packaging industry to print on cardbox or plastics.

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